Reviews by:
@somuchlovecinema
@thedefinitionofcreativity
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How Do I Even Begin To Review This Film....
La La Land is a 2016 American Musical Comedy-Drama Film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. Starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in Lead Roles.. it follows a jazz musician and an aspiring actress who fall in love.. and their conflicts through love and passion as they explore their lives In Los Angeles.
An Ode To All Of The Musicals In The History Of Hollywood. This movie makes you feel all of those emotions possible. From beginning to ending it has this vibe of amusement around it... and every scene is well-crafted. This film is a view of intellectual people all around the world and it's sophisticated. After finishing the film I had this... I don't know a bittersweet smile on my face and had this heavy feeling in my heart.. a feeling which I never wanted to lose. This is one of those films which can be made out of utter brilliance of an artist.. impossible otherwise. This film starts like a fairytale and ends like what would happen exactly in our real life. The awkward conversations, the immediate distractions, the disappointments of rejection all of these were shown in a truly realistic way and it hits right at the heart. This film is a musical drama, but if you relate to it, it feels like a nightmare. With stunning cinematography, masterful direction and writing, great acting and a masterpiece of a soundtrack.. This film is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Guys watch it if you haven't.. this film has a great potential and passion in it and it needs to be seen.
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If most people have seen La La Land, they would say that it is perhaps their favourite movie musical, particularly if the musical is not the most compelling genre for them. I have wondered why that is. Movie musicals have been successful since almost the beginning of film. It has gone on a journey: from having bubbling optimism from the 1930s to the 1950s; to transitioning into deeper and darker material in the 1970s; to seeing all of this in animated form in the 1990s. But what I feel La La Land does successfully is combine all of these things, which is what many people who do not like musicals do not expect from musicals.
This film wonderfully captures the light-hearted nature of the classic 1950s musicals like Singin’ in the Rain, most notably by filming the musical numbers in very long takes. It may not be something people notice immediately, but the continuity of the musical numbers makes the dancing flow much better and strengthens the chemistry between the two main characters Mia and Sebastian. Also, the film has colour grading that captures a similar aesthetic to these classic musicals, where it is almost dream-like and quite utopian. It reminded me of the vibrant pops of colour in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, although La La Land’s colour are much lighter.
In addition, La La Land’s realism in the development of its characters, despite the magical musical moments, is perhaps something that surprised people. We can see realism in musicals like Chicago and Dreamgirls. But unlike them, by stripping the musical away from it, La La Land would just be a romantic comedy drama, and so there would have been aspects that may not have appealed to viewers. However, Damien Chazelle’s writing ensures that Mia and Sebastian equally have both something for themselves and each other within their relationship. The outcome of their relationship is realistic, as everyone can perhaps relate to having to sacrifice something special in their life for something else. In this case, they both sacrificed their relationship for their careers. And whilst being displayed in an idealised and dream-like manner, the film’s ending is also realistic and relatable because I am sure we have all thought about what could have been.
This leads me onto why Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling were perfectly cast for the roles of Mia and Sebastian. I feel some may think differently because they are not known as musical theatre performers. But La La Land feels like a different kind of musical because it has significantly fewer songs than most movie musicals. And so I interpret the use of musical form as progressing the dynamic of the characters and revealing their inner artistic selves through song and dance, rather than the musical form being used to usually develop the plot. For example, dancing during the Planetarium scene strengthen their romance, and was the film’s way of saying “they are now together”, rather than using words that would perhaps ruin the moment. It is interesting that songs are used for the most hopeful moments, but not in heated moments like their argument over dinner. I think it just shows that not everything can be swept under the carpet, and that there are things in life that need to be confronted.
Once is a similar to La La Land, in terms of there being less songs than usual. The music is used to bring the two characters closer, as it seems as though they cannot breathe without music. The fact that the stage musical features actor-musicians - actors who play their own instruments and sing live on stage - emphasises this. The two characters in that movie are played by musicians rather than actors, which shows that the music was the most vital device in capturing their desires, pains, and romance.
It was nominated for a record-tying 14 Academy Awards, alongside Titanic and All About Eve, and won 6 of those awards. Of all its awards, I was most elated with Emma Stone’s win for Best Actress. She is one of my favourite actresses, and this film combined everything she brought to life with previous characters, as well as what she still has to offer. Many actresses have won Oscars for their performances in movie musicals, such as Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly in Chicago and Jennifer Hudson in her feature film debut as Effie White in Dreamgirls. But the last time an actress won a Best Leading Actress Oscar for their role in movie musical was the iconic Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles in Cabaret - almost 45 years earlier. I loved how it marked how movie musicals can provide equally brilliant performances as every other genre. Since La La Land, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga have been nominated for A Star Is Born, Andrew Garfield for tick, tick…boom!, and Ariana DeBose won for West Side Story.
La La Land has now become a modern classic - not just in the movie musical genre, but in film generally. It has received a wave of love amongst musical theatre fans and those who are not as keen alike. It has always been one of my favourite films since the moment it was released - considering that it is one of two films I have seen more than once in cinemas, along with the very recent The Batman. Every time I watch it, it becomes more personal to me, and it has done a lot for the movie musical genre. It seems to be one of the most popular and well-received films of the last decade, but if you have not seen La La Land, I highly recommend you watch it!
By @thedefinitionofcreativity
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